Gentrification in Chinatown (Chicago, McHenry, Washington: apartments, rentals, luxury)

[Bitey]

Originally Posted by Master Jay

IF there is a gang culture (street gangs, tongs) present in Chinatown, and now expanding Chinese pocketed areas, they certainly are not visible. People come in from out Illinois and there is little to no hesitation to seek out "Chinatown." I wonder if they would feel the same with a predominant African-American and Latino (less so than African-American I assume) neighborhood?

So what is the difference? The houses seem to be kept up better. The streets look LESS littered from my observation. I don't see the same graffiti all over buildings. So these factors make it a DRAW to outsiders. And they then bring their MONEY to invert in this area's restaurants and stores.

But first of all, the other neighborhood communities that are struggling need to band TOGETHER to do things in a similar way.

Maybe, START by cleaning up the neighborhood. That IS in their power to do so!

Then let people like me into their churches, community centers or gyms to instill the values of a martial arts program to counter gang culture.

And this is JUST THE START to a big change needed...

^^ In short, context cues matter. They're not determinative, but they matter.

[BRU67]

There is a phrase called "the soft bigotry of low expectations." When does a society reach a point where a mindset, which may be founded upon some unfortunate truths, become counterproductive and more damaging than the original sin?

[Curly Q. Bobalink]

Originally Posted by Master Jay

IF there is a gang culture (street gangs, tongs) present in Chinatown, and now expanding Chinese pocketed areas, they certainly are not visible. People come in from out Illinois and there is little to no hesitation to seek out "Chinatown." I wonder if they would feel the same with a predominant African-American and Latino (less so than African-American I assume) neighborhood?

So what is the difference? The houses seem to be kept up better. The streets look LESS littered from my observation. I don't see the same graffiti all over buildings. So these factors make it a DRAW to outsiders. And they then bring their MONEY to invert in this area's restaurants and stores.

But first of all, the other neighborhood communities that are struggling need to band TOGETHER to do things in a similar way.

Maybe, START by cleaning up the neighborhood. That IS in their power to do so!

Then let people like me into their churches, community centers or gyms to instill the values of a martial arts program to counter gang culture.

And this is JUST THE START to a big change needed...

And it's not only "appearance" of a neighborhood, it's actual personal safety.

As an older white guy, I could get on the Archer 62 bus tomorrow at Cicero, go all the way down to Chinatown, have lunch, walk around and feel fairly confident I wouldn't be robbed or mugged. On the other hand, I probably had the best cheeseburger of my life from a little place at 47th and Drexel forty years ago, but I wouldn't take a bus from Cicero down into that neighborhood today on a bet, the odds of street crime against an older white guy are simply too high to take the chance (the guy I was working with at the time left me in the apartment we were sanding floors in and went out and got lunch for both of us, he was a black guy and wouldn't let me go with - the place was within a few hundred feet of the headquarters of the P-Stone Nation (if I remember correctly) at the time.

Bottom line, one thing that holds AA-owned businesses down, is the real fear of street crime by potential white customers. Is that racist, or just good common sense by those who don't shop in black neighborhoods out of concern for their safety? To me, it simply looks like I'm not wanted there. And it's too bad, because that was a darned good cheeseburger.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Curly Q. Bobalink

And it's not only "appearance" of a neighborhood, it's actual personal safety.

As an older white guy, I could get on the Archer 62 bus tomorrow at Cicero, go all the way down to Chinatown, have lunch, walk around and feel fairly confident I wouldn't be robbed or mugged. On the other hand, I probably had the best cheeseburger of my life from a little place at 47th and Drexel forty years ago, but I wouldn't take a bus from Cicero down into that neighborhood today on a bet, the odds of street crime against an older white guy are simply too high to take the chance (the guy I was working with at the time left me in the apartment we were sanding floors in and went out and got lunch for both of us, he was a black guy and wouldn't let me go with - the place was within a few hundred feet of the headquarters of the P-Stone Nation (if I remember correctly) at the time.

Bottom line, one thing that holds AA-owned businesses down, is the real fear of street crime by potential white customers. Is that racist, or just good common sense by those who don't shop in black neighborhoods out of concern for their safety? To me, it simply looks like I'm not wanted there. And it's too bad, because that was a darned good cheeseburger.

To me, a lot of it is the little things. I live in South Lawndale and see it every day driving through North Lawndale and East Garfield Park on my work commute, and of course in using public transit in the area. Tailgating and then moving into the right turn lane to blow by you, just stopping in the middle of the street to wait for someone and blocking traffic, driving with brights on, screaming into your cell phone (complete with profanities) on the CTA without giving a F about anyone around you, and so on.

And of course there's the larger issues of drive-by shootings where the shooters don't care who they hit, car jackings, open air drug markets, the Tijuana homicide rates, and so on.

It's really too bad because the good people who live in these communities hate this, and the police are now much less proactive because of the consent decree and the anti-police climate now. I truly feel bad for hard working people who live in these areas and try to maintain their homes and live a decent lifestyle.

[Master Jay]

Curly Q. Bobalink, I have no reason to believe the stats are completely fudged. Crimes do occur in the nortwest side of the city. I haven't met anyone yet that is apprehensive to go there. And everyone has a right to feel safe and secure. In fact, it is a psychological need.

I tell you what. I'd go with you there and grab a hamburger!

[Master Jay]

BRU67, what you listed are things I have seen, too. And yes, I understand why it would raise a level of concern. It is a lack of empathy and sympathy. These are things that should be modeled by positive figures in your life. But even without, it CAN be learned. Again, it all comes down to personal responsibility.

I'll reference the northwest side again... If I witnessed those behaviors there, I would stop visiting those areas. And I would stop sharing my money with their places of business.

So come on people! You are in control. Make changes. Make your areas more attractive. Make people feel comfortable and safe ... then outsiders will come in and invest. Jobs can be created. People can feel proud of themselves and their neighborhoods.

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Master Jay

BRU67, what you listed are things I have seen, too. And yes, I understand why it would raise a level of concern. It is a lack of empathy and sympathy. These are things that should be modeled by positive figures in your life. But even without, it CAN be learned. Again, it all comes down to personal responsibility.

I'll reference the northwest side again... If I witnessed those behaviors there, I would stop visiting those areas. And I would stop sharing my money with their places of business.

So come on people! You are in control. Make changes. Make your areas more attractive. Make people feel comfortable and safe ... then outsiders will come in and invest. Jobs can be created. People can feel proud of themselves and their neighborhoods.

Right after I wrote that and drove to work, yup. Car blasts by on my right, through a red light at Sacramento and Roosevelt, at about 40 mph, without a care in the world. What an f'ing a'hole. I can imagine the respect a person like that has for his neighbors, LOL! And the cops probably wouldn't have bothered pulling him over even if they'd been around. Why would they? They'd be just opening themselves up to a charge of profiling.

Oh well, hardly an isolated incident. I barely batted an eye. I just wanted to post about it as it happened right after my earlier post. This is a major part of the problem.

[Master Jay]

I was not there, then, as I'm sure most of us weren't. But even during the Great Depression, despite the hardest of economic times on ALL races, pictures seem to show people dressing the best they can, maintaining their homes the best they can, etc.

I'm not sure why it changed. But I also don't know why we can't go back to that. Caring about one's image. Caring for neighbors. Having pride even during the hardest of times.

[Master Jay]

BRU67, I'm wishing you a good rest of the day. And a great weekend, my brother.

[Manson Lamps]

whats this burger spot at 47th and drex?